Call for Assembly session to bring law on quota hike: K'taka Congress to Govt
Raichur, Oct 21: With the BJP government in Karnataka deciding on the ordinance route for SC/ST quota hike in the State, Opposition Congress on Friday urged it to convene a special legislature session to enact a legislation to this effect and then take it to the Centre for constitutional amendment.
Otherwise, the decision on the hike in reservation would seem like an eyewash ahead of the Assembly election next year, the Congress said.
"At present the reservation in the state is 50 per cent, now with this increase it will go up to 56 per cent, also 10 per cent has been given to economically weaker sections, it will be a total 66 per cent. For this reservation to sustain, it has to be given legal protection through a constitutional amendment by including it under the 9th schedule," said Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah.
"They (BJP) have decided to bring in an ordinance, but my suggestion is call a special legislature session within a week; instead of passing an ordinance, pass an act. Your party (BJP) is in power at the Centre, go to Delhi, camp there and see to it that the act is included in the ninth schedule, to prove your commitment," he added.
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to promulgate the ordinance increasing the SC/ST reservation after the Governor's assent. The ordinance would raise reservation for SCs from 15 to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 to 7 per cent.
This would take the total reservation tally to 56 per cent in the State, over the 50 per cent cap fixed by the Supreme Court.
Earlier, the government said it would recommend to the Centre to bring the SC/ST quota hike under the 9th Schedule of the Constitution to give it legal protection. But, today, the Law Minister J C Madhuswamy said the government would push for it, once it takes a decision on quota demands made by other communities.
Stating that he had doubts over the ruling BJP's commitment to reservation hike, Siddaramaiah said, "They were silent for 2.3 years, and under the pressure from Congress they decided to hike reservation quota for SC/STs, but now have decided to bring in an ordinance...Looks like BJP is trying for an eye wash ahead of election, so that they (tell) people they have done their bit..."
Once again urging the government to call for a special session for a day or two, he said, "Congress will wholeheartedly support the reservation hike bill, if it is introduced in the Assembly and in making it an act. Then take that act to the Centre and ask them to include it under the ninth schedule."
The hike is also being seen with a political prism, he said.
Responding to a question, the Congress Legislature Party leader, accompanied by State party chief D K Shivakumar and others, said the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi would be fruitful.
"People are voluntarily participating and walking with Rahul Gandhi. This will help Congress in getting a majority hundred per cent in the next election," he added.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
